The evening went well with members enjoying the contrast in speaking styles and the differing philosophies from two producers, without a background in the sector, and trying to develop in an area without a strong recent wine history. As to be expected each producer had their fans. There was comment that Alex from Bijou was a good presenter and she presented some good wines. Some felt that Derek, despite his passion for his wines, was a little inexperienced in presenting to an audience that includes a number of members with very well developed tasting skills. It was, nonetheless, an engaging meeting with a lively discussion about cork vs screw cap.
Interestingly the stand-out wine, which was not tasted on the evening, was the Lansdowne Syrah, which a number of members purchased, despite not having tasted it. Murray, Dinah, Patricia and I had the opportunity to compare it with a Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Syrah from 2007 recently, and it suffered nothing in the comparison. A lovely drop and if you get a chance don’t hesitate to purchase some.